Why I will not use Painless Wiring products again..
I'm a pretty positive, can-do, glass is half full kind of guy.. If you've read through this build log, or my Honda build, you've probably got a pretty good feel that negativity just isn't my deal- I'd rather just hold my tongue than be nasty; but in this case I'm going to break my own rule..
Painless wiring's products are fine, but their customer service SUCKS! This is my second body harness (part # 10201) I've installed (the last one was almost 20 years ago in a 53 F100).. I struggle terribly with all things electrical and wiring (I mean it's as bad as the math I couldn't do back in school), and I'm keenly aware of this shortcoming- which is specifically why I chose to buy a Painless harness; for the promised 'help' for when/if I was to get stuck on the install..
It would be tedious to delve into my particular wiring snags on this project (I had 2 issues), but the bottom line is when I called the Painless tech line, they were not helpful, condescending, and unbelievably, not able to guide me to a solution!?! As an amateur car enthusiast, I need to know going in that the supplier knows (or can find out) how to help if I get stuck- not so on this tech line! I think it boiled down to this: I'm not working on a Ford/Dodge/Chevy, and I'm not running a Ford or SBC engine.. When Cletus-the-tech guy found out that I'm working on "one of them old foreign cars," and that I was trying to install a "modern" engine in the build, I just didn't fit the mold.. I'm 50 years old, and I've never had a customer service person say, "Yeah, that's a tough one, you're just going to have to figure it out".. NO SH*T Cletus! That's why I paid SEVERAL hundred dollars for your product and expertise!
Anyway, I post this here for the next guy who has to choose an aftermarket body harness... maybe Painless will fire Cletus and hire techs that actually want to help their customers.. maybe this company will read posts like this and begin to focus on customer satisfaction (see, glass is half full
)... Until then, I personally hope I never have to install a harness again, but if I do, I'll look to a different company for the product and service..
**btw- the internet is full of hate and half-truths, and it's tough to sort through it all... I only post this here because I was so taken aback by this incident, that I thought it would help some other electrically-challenged car guy to seek out a company that has good customer service.. a whole body harness is an intimidating job for most of us, and I was just so shocked to basically be told I was on my own to find solutions.. I actually like the Painless harness itself, but I never would have bought it if I knew Cletus worked on their tech line..
--ccrunner
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Dean
1972 Honda N600 Restomod "ccrunner's N600 VFR800 repower"
1963 Volvo P1800 Restomod
http://locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=163091959 Berkeley SE492 Restomod...
viewtopic.php?f=36&t=19397"ccrunner's 1960 MGA coupe Restomod" found on MGExp.com